NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A spokesman for Corrections Corporation of American (CCA) has announced the company's plan to close the Gainesville facility by the end of 2013.

In a statement from Steve Owen, Senior Officer, Public Affairs for CCA, the company said the decision to shutter CCA's North Georgia Detention Center came because of a continuous decline in the population at the jail.

"It is our understanding that ICE will soon begin transitioning the detainees out of this location to other detention facilities," said Owen in the statement.

Owen said the company will offer employees of the Gainesville facility the opportunity to transfer to other CCA-run facilities.

The building, at 622 Main St SW, was formerly the Hall County Jail. The county last year agreed to sell the property to the city of Gainesville for $7.2 million. The detention center leased the facilities from the city.

"We were just notified this (Monday) morning. We will be exploring all options for future use of the facility," Gainesville City Manager Kip Padgett said.

The Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners (BOC) recently signed a Settlement Agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), five years after an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) audit of county facilities.